UWM Post fringe

Review: Vampire Weekend @ The Riverside Theater 03-23-10

Love them or hate them, Vampire Weekend is good at one thing, playing live music. But since the release of the band’s sophomore album Contra, the best way to describe how Vampire Weekend is currently perceived in the world of popular music would be polarizing. Not because of some radical shift in their style of music (not yet anyway), but their enormous popularity has opened the floodgates for detractors, many of whom were probably the same folks that lauded the group’s self-titled debut as album of the year in 2008.

But hey, it’s easy to attack a bunch of polo wearing Columbia graduates and their elite grammatical commentary when you hardly mention their music, or simply state that they grew up too rich to be punk rock. On the other hand, it’s not like anybody is saying that Vampire Weekend is the new Talking Heads. Shit, somebody did make that comparison? Let’s just stick with the Paul Simon similarities for now folks.

Given that Milwaukee was host to two separate listening parties for Contra the week before its release; it’s no surprise that this show sold out when it did. I had full intentions of getting the best possible seats in the house by camping out in line for this general admission show at the Riverside, but my veteran concert skills were no match for the tenacity of this teenage mob of hipsters and their skinny jeans. Soon after my 6:00pm arrival, I realized I had been beaten to the punch. The line was already wrapped around Plankinton Avenue well past Mo’s Steak House. Floor seating was no longer a viable option; front row balcony was now the priority.

We enjoyed our unobstructed view of the opening act, Abe Vigoda, from the left side of the raised seating. Taking their name from the actor who portrayed Sal Tessio in The Godfather series (lead singer, Michael Vidal says, “they like the way the name sounds phonetically.”), this Los Angeles tropical punk outfit takes more than just a few cues from the ‘80s pop music. Subtle hints of Duran Duran, The Cure, even New Order were present in their short, but deserving set.

After a brief intermission, Vampire Weekend took the stage to the sounds of DJ Kool’s “Let Me Clear My Throat.” Taking no heed to the words of Mr. Kool, Ezra Koenig dove right into his spiraling squeals on the opening track, “White Sky.”

Koenig kept the crowd entertained between songs by praising Milwaukee’s best offerings, including the aesthetics of the theater (mentioning that the Riverside’s chandelier was much older and larger than the ones they had brought) and noting that our river walk was top-notch, even better than San Antonio’s. Yes Milwaukee, better than San Antonio.

The crowd lost its collective shit over the rip-roaring “Cousins” and “A-Punk” early in the evening, so much so that the balcony was shaking quite noticeably.

Towards the end of the set “Giving up the Gun” was played. The song seems well received by some and outright shunned by others. But judging by the amount of A-list of celebrity appearances Vampire Weekend stuck into the music video (Joe Jonas, RZA, Jake Gyllenhaal, etc.) don’t be surprised if the band takes this sound and runs with it for their next album. It might not be nearly as spry as their other material, but those synths grooves and pulsing bass lines are pretty damn catchy.

Judging by Tuesday night’s show at the Riverside, Vampire Weekend is a band whose main priority is maintaining the standard of their live performance through the quality and accuracy of their playing. There were no bells and whistles on stage that so often come with bands hyped to this magnitude, just a few hanging chandeliers and a massive backdrop of the Contra album cover were the only stage props needed. Koenig and Co. let the music do most of the talking for them, and Koenig’s vocals were pristine. Even though his vocals can annoy at times (“One (Blake’s Got a New Face)” pre-song banter), they sounded remarkably similar to the studio recordings.

“Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa”

“A-Punk”

“Oxford Comma”

“Mansard Roof”

“Holiday”

“California English”

-Jacob Schneider